Jamia Mosque Ghamkol Sharif in Birmingham was host to the tenth event of the Dalāʾil Al-Khayrāt tour, and was packed to the brim with around 3,400 attendees in-person and 4,500 online.
His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad Al-Yaqoubi began with a reminder that no one has shown us more favour than Sayyiduna Rasul’Allah ﷺ, and how much joy it brings us when we come together to remember him ﷺ.
He stressed the need for the state that we experience during such events should stay with us after the event has ended too.
Shaykh Al-Yaqoubi pondered that some might ask why are we so attached to the Prophet ﷺ, and the response would be that Allah Most High made only one channel to Him, and that is the Prophet ﷺ.
After recapping the status of the Dalāʾil Al-Khayrāt across the Ummah, namely that it has been received with consensus across all four madhhabs [schools of jurisprudence] throughout the preceding centuries, with an unbroken chain of transmission; the Shaykh gave a brief insight into why its author Imam Al-Jazūlī, wrote it the way he did, and quoted Imam Ahmad al-Zarruq, who reportedly said, “We know in our time someone who manages his affairs through Salat al-Nabi,” in reference to Imam Al-Jazūlī.
Shaykh Al-Yaqoubi asked the audience rhetorically,
“If Salat al-Nabi accomplishes that, then what of following him ﷺ?”
After spending some time explaining what led to Imam Al-Jazūlī authoring the Dalāʾil, Shaykh al-Yaqoubi explained how many scholars took direct permission from the Prophet ﷺ, via dreams in which they saw him ﷺ and obtained his permission to recite it,
The Shaykh spoke about how aspects of theology can be taught through the Dalāʾil, and gave the example of the twenty-five names of Prophets mentioned in the Quran, which some Students of Knowledge might feasibly struggle to recall, but which can easily be referenced in the Dalāʾil, since Imam Al-Jazūlī conveniently listed them.
Such is the tremendous rank of Dalāʾil Al-Khayrāt, it enables one to truly understand the maqam [station] of Sayyiduna Rasul’Allah ﷺ, said Shaykh Al-Yaqoubi.
At one point in Imam Al-Jazūlī’s life, it seems he went in search of a spiritual guide, heading initially to Tangiers, whereupon he encountered a woman of Allah, who told him he was needed there, in Morocco, and to stay there.
The Imam then travelled to Fez, where the famous miracle that led to his penning the book, took place. This too involved a woman of Allah. The Imam had needed to make wudu [ritual ablution], but couldn’t find a bucket to draw water from a well. A woman saw this from her window and came down, having recognised him. She spat in the well after sending a prayer for the Prophet ﷺ, and water rose. Imam Al-Jazūlī was astonished and asked her how this miracle occurred, requesting the salat from her, whereupon she advised him to compile a book of salawat [prayers for the Prophet ﷺ] and bring it to her.
This then, was the inspiration for him to pen the Dalāʾil.
Importantly, both these incidents signal that women of Allah were present in that milieu.
Shaykh Al-Yaqoubi spent some time detailing how this was actually the reality since the time of Sayyiduna Rasul’Allah ﷺ, and he cited names of various famous women in Islamic history throughout the ages, going all the way back to the ennobled women of the Prophetic household.
All this to counter the common myth that Muslims degrade and disrespect women and limit their authority. On the contrary, Islam exalts women, and this has been the case since Islam was revealed.
The Shaykh mentioned how Imam Al-Jazūlī valued the place of women in society, and penned the Dalāʾil in a way that’s intended for both men and women.
After reciting the seventh hizb of the Dalāʾil, the Shaykh issued the customary ijaza to all attendees, as has been his practice throughout the tour so far, to connect the audience with the Imam and the text, and ultimately, to our Beloved Prophet ﷺ.